Food and drink

Taormina, this heavenly, holiday place, makes you want to take it easy, slowly taking in the beauties of the city and the intense flavors of the place.
Your breakfast will begin with a tasty, energizing granita al caffè con panna (iced coffee with whipped cream), and a typically Sicilian sweetmeat if you want, filled with ricotta cheese.
Going for a meal in one of the restaurants in Taormina is a real pleasure, due to the taste of the Sicilian food and the surroundings you will find yourself in. Many restaurants in fact have a garden with citrus fruit trees, and the perfume blends perfectly with the aroma of the food you are eating.
There is a wide choice of first courses in Taormina and we suggest you try a simple pasta sauce that is used often here on pasta, made from tomatoes, capers, basil and anchovies.
Taormina, which has an ideal geographical position between the land and the sea, allows you to choose both meat, which you must try in one of the several trattorie on the slopes of Mount Etna, and fish. Fish is the true protagonist at the dinner table, however, especially swordfish and smaller fish like tuna, mackerel, sardines and anchovies that are always extra fresh, and that are prepared in various ways, according to the traditional Sicilian cooking recipes and served in all the restaurants in Taormina. We recommend you try one of the little restaurants on the beaches near the port of Giardini Naxos, where you can enjoy a splendid view, and taste the fish-based dishes.
A typical wine of the area around Taormina, from Castelmola, is almond wine, a white wine served cool to accompany desserts.